The Duke basketball team is eyeing one of the biggest names remaining in the transfer portal as it continues to try and form its roster for next season amid some questions.
Jon Scheyer and his coaching staff reportedly contacted USC transfer Demond Claude over the weekend, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello.
Claude spent his first two seasons at Xavier, being named as the Big East’s Most Improved Player in 2024 before he departed for Southern California. He averaged 15.8 points per game in his only season with the Trojans, shooting 48.2-percent from the floor and with 4.2 rebounds.
Upon entering the portal, there was a lot of contact between Claude and Florida, but things did not progress in his recruitment.
The Gators are no longer involved in his recruitment yet Gonzaga, Virginia, Ole Miss, and Kentucky remain involved.
“Claude is looking for a proven backcourt mate to share playmaking and a team built for a deep run,” Borzello reported.
USC transfer Desmond Claude is hearing from Gonzaga, Duke, Virginia, Ole Miss & Kentucky, sources told ESPN, with Duke reaching out over the weekend. In his next school, sources said, Claude is looking for a proven backcourt mate to share playmaking & a team built for a deep run.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) May 5, 2025
Duke landed Washington State transfer Cedric Coward last week, but he was recently invited to the NBA Draft Combine and remains involved in the draft process. Freshman wing Isaiah Evans, who announced his intentions to return to the Blue Devils, was also invited to the combine.
Sophomore guard Caleb Foster will be returning to the team for his junior season in addition to 5-star guard Cayden Boozer, the twin brother of Cameron Boozer.
The Blue Devils remain involved with high school recruits Braydon Hawthorne and Sebastian Wilkins. Hawthorne, a 2025 recruit, recently decommitted from West Virginia after the program’s coaching change and Wilkins is a 2026 prospect that is rumored to be reclassifying into the 2025 recruiting class.
It’s clear that Scheyer is looking to add more players to his roster for the 2025-26 season and Desmond Claude is another name to monitor over the next several weeks.